Petition for Howard vote on rezoning adds names

A SUN STAFF WRITERTHE BALTIMORE SUN

Howard County residents trying to force a referendum on a County Council rezoning bill submitted 3,058 more signatures to the county election board yesterday -- likely more than enough to achieve their goal.

County law requires 5,000 valid signatures of registered voters to put a bill on the November 2006 ballot, and election officials have validated 4,475 names submitted last month.

Howard residents are "fed up" with growth, said referendum drive leader Angela Beltram, a former County Council member. "It is time now for the Howard County government to reassess their vision of what Howard County can and should be," she said in a prepared statement.

The council is scheduled to discuss changes to the once-a-decade comprehensive zoning process at a meeting Tuesday.